Nightmare
by Ouren
Summary: Robin and the Team fight a villain of their worst nightmares.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice.**

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The building was old, but it towered above its neighbors, so it served as an excellent vantage point for a certain young bird of the night. On each corner of the roof was an eagle of stone, their wings poised for flight, leaning outwards to the sky.

Robin was perched on top of one as he scanned the Gotham streets below. He felt utterly exhausted. Supervillain activity had increased lately, and as a result, Team missions became overwhelmingly frequent. _Things haven't gotten this hectic since the Light took over the Watchtower,_ Robin mused. Its members, having to constantly be on standby, spent all their time at the cave either recovering or catching up on schoolwork. Robin would spend his day with the Team, and at night, he would patrol Gotham with Batman, Batgirl, and Artemis. Batman had wanted excuse Robin from his Gotham duties, but Robin adamantly refused. The two were both territorial about their city and shared an extreme amount of protectiveness for it. Now if that weren't enough, Batman got called off-word for the Justice League and Artemis was at the Cave healing from a rather scary injury. That meant for the last few days, Robin and Batgirl's responsibilities have doubled, and consequently, patrols became longer and more taxing. After wearing himself out with the Team and getting nearly zero sleep for the last few days, he was ready to collapse.

Blinking wearily, he shifted and found a more comfortable spot atop the eagle. He closed his eyes, thinking one second couldn't hurt.

He felt a brief sensation of falling as he suddenly lurched to the side. His hands shot out and clamped onto the eagle. Cursing, he made an undignified scramble back onto his perch. Hearing giggling behind him, he turned around and glared at Batgirl.

"I thought the Boy Wonder was supposed to be graceful," she teased. Robin ignored her and turned her attention back onto Gotham.

Hearing no reply, she ventured, "You know, you don't have to go on pa-"

"Yes, I do."

"You're going to run yourself into the ground."

"You're like the fussy sister I never had."

"And you're the annoying little brother _I_ never had."

"Just by one year," Robin grumbled. The taller girl smirked.

Silence ensued once more, only to be broken by Robin this time.

"There is an illegal drug shipment leaving the Gotham docks," he announced and leapt into the night, with Batgirl following.

They landed silently in the shipping yard, just inside the barb wire fence. Climbing to the top of one of the rows of shipping container, they soundlessly ran to the docks, careful to not alert the patrolling henchmen below them of their presence. Upon arriving they surveyed the drug deal from their vantage point.

The piles of shipping containers formed a semi-circle around a large opening. Goons were unevenly dispersed around the opening, as were a few stray shipping containers. They wore shabby clothes and carried automatics. Overhead lights lit up the area. A small white boat was docked by the drug deal, its sleek lines revealing that it had cost its owner a fortune.

Near the waterline stood a giant of a man. He wore a bullet proof vest, exposing his arms that were swollen with muscle. His head was bald, his only facial being a black mustache that stood out from his fair skin. The man he was shaking hands with was a dwarf in comparison. The smaller man was dressed in an obviously expensive suit. _This could get interesting_ , Robin thought.

"I count around twenty, thirty guards," Robin said.

"No problem," came the reply.

He pulled up his holographic wrist computer and swiftly tapped a few buttons. The soft whirring sound of powering down could be heard as the over head lights dimmed. Blackness consumed the drug deal. Shouts of alarm could be heard. The flashlights on the guards' guns sent beams sweeping across the open ground.

Suddenly, two of the guards collapsed as the two vigilantes landed on top of their shoulders. The cackle of the machine guns filled the air.

"I'll get the boss. You stop the shipment from leaving!" Robin indicated towards the two men scrambling with a large crate and at the sleek boat loaded with a few more. Batgirl nodded and sprung into action.

She knocked aside the first henchman's gun and sent the heel of her wrist into the underside of his jaw. Then, with a quick kick the the chest, the man stumbled backwards into two of his companions. Lunging over the mess, she grabbed the throats of the next two thugs in midair, and using her momentum, slammed the two into the ground. Then, after throwing a smoke grenade at the two men carrying the crate, she quickly dealt with the drug carriers under the concealment of the thick gray haze.

Satisfied that Batgirl was in control of her situation, Robin leapt to his task, evading the machine gun fire. He was confident in the darkness that enveloped him; the goons couldn't hit if they only caught glimpses of him. Soft whistling followed by metallic pings could be heard as a series of batarangs disarmed three of the guards. He jumped at the first goon and sent a savage punch that exploded on the goon's cheek. The next thug attempted to grab him. Robin flipped over his outstretched arms to land behind him and swept the thug's legs out from underneath his body. Ducking under the next goon's punch, he brought his fist up in an uppercut as he straightened. The uppercut had the power of his arm, legs, and back beneath it, and when it connected to the henchman's jaw, he went out like a lamp. He was dimly aware that Batgirl finished successfully prevented the final shipment from leaving and was fighting through the goons to get to the buyer, who was running towards his boat.

Drawing his collapsible escrima sticks, he quickly finished off the last few thugs between him and their boss, leaving the bruised and unconscious men lying in his wake. He allowed himself a brief respite and doubled over. The battle was quickly draining his last reserves of energy and he felt his ears ringing from dizziness. The drug lord had donned a pair of night vision goggles and was pointing a pistol at him. Robin attempted to evade the bullet, but his body refused to cooperate, and the bullet grazed his left thigh. His leg went out from underneath and he lay facedown on his elbows, his head bowed. He had forgotten how painful it was to get shot. The drug lord fired again, scraping the boy's ribs as he lurched out of the way again. Cursing, he took aim once again.

The drug lord's body suddenly flew to side as Batgirl used a loading crane and her grapple to swing herself into the large man, planting her booted feet into his chest. His gun clattered onto the ground. The giant of a man recovered quickly and sent a wild roundhouse punch. Batgirl swayed to the side, and the enormous fist whistled harmlessly through the air. Before she could retaliate however, the boss, from his follow through position, swung his hand in a vicious backhand slap that sent Batgirl flying back into a stray shipping container. He drew a long knife and advanced, teeth bared in a snarl.

Robin, refusing to lie down and give into the welcoming arms of unconsciousness, pushed himself off the ground. His overtaxed muscles screamed at him in protest. Blood oozed from his wounds, soaking his uniform. His heart lurched as he saw the enormous knife the drug lord was holding and the prone figure of Batgirl. Forcing down his fear and aiming carefully, he sent a spinning escrima stick into the knife blade. A shout of surprise was ripped from the lips of the drug lord.

He spun to face the charging boy. Robin managed to dodge the first punch. _He's fast, especially for a man his size,_ Robin thought. He sidestepped the next punch. The gigantic criminal stumbled forward as his fist met no resistance. Robin slipped past him and swung a two-handed blow with his escrima stick, feeling a satisfying thud as he made contact. The drug lord arched his back arched as he bellowed in pain. Twirling around, he attempted a roundhouse kick, only to miss again as Robin performed a series of backward handsprings.

He landed a few meters away, and in the same fluid movement, drew his grappling gun and fired. The barbed tip flew out and sunk deeply into the drug lord's shoulder, who howled in pain. Blood gushed down, forming rivers of red down his arms. The young vigilante retracted the gun, and the criminal was reeled in head first, feet leaving the ground. Once he was in striking distance, Robin swung his escrima stick forward into the criminal's head. The drug lord promptly lost consciousness.

Robin, thoroughly drained, felt of rush of dizziness from his loss of blood. He swayed with exhaustion, only to be steadied by the hands of Batgirl. He looked at her worriedly, recalling his stab of fear when he saw her on the ground, in pain.

"I'm fine," she said, reading his mind, "couldn't say the same for you though."

"I've got a million miles left," he lied, to which Batgirl gave a sarcastic laugh. He questioned, "Did you get the buyer?"

Batgirl shook her head.

"What?!" Robin hated an incomplete mission. It made him feel like he betrayed the trust Batman had placed on him.

"Sorry. I was busy saving your sorry ass," she retorted. She hated not finishing a mission as well.

 _She's right,_ Robin realized. _If I didn't need her help, we would have finished our task._ His anguish gave away to guilt and gratefulness.

"Sorry. My fault. And thanks. For preventing a bullet from going into my head," Robin mumbled.

"Don't worry about it. That's our cue to leave," she added as they heard the henchmen on the perimeter coming in and the dull chopping of police helicopters.

Back on the top of the building with the eagles, Batgirl attended to the wounds of Robin, who was leaning heavily against the building's parapet. She paused briefly to glance at him, and she noted with concern how his shoulders slumped and how his eyes eyes drooped beneath his mask. He seemed dead to the world. He didn't have the energy to cry out as she cleaned and bound his wounds, only making a slight grimace.

"Thank you, Barbara. Again," he said when she finished. He pulled on his bloody shirt over the bandages. His left leg was bare from mid thigh and down, his pant leg having been cut away with a batarang so the wound could be dressed.

"You need to rest," she said worriedly. "I'm scared tha-Grayson! Look at me! I'm scared your going to get hurt if you keep this up. Nothing good ever came from sleep deprivation."

"I have to get to the Cave," he stated. "Keep me updated about what you find on the case of the missing men." Lately, grown men had begun to disappear from all over the gun. They would enter their apartments and by next morning, they were gone. Most of the men were involved with the police or military.

"No problem."

She gave him a sisterly peck on the forehead. "See you later, little brother."

"Bye."

Batgirl leapt off the building and headed for the Batcave, and Robin dropped down to the abandoned phone booth that concealed a zeta tube.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice.**

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"Recognized: Robin, B-01," the announcement blared over the Cave's speakers. An exhausted Robin stumbled into the cave. Artemis, being the only one to hear Robin's arrival, walked sleepily into the room from the infirmary.

"Robin? What are y-wait, what time is it?" she asked groggily.

"Around five," Robin replied with a sense of dread. He had a feeling about where the conversation is heading.

Artemis's eyes widened in realization, all feelings of sleepiness forgotten. "You went on patrol, didn't you? Why didn't you wake me?" she hissed angrily.

"You were injured and recovering."

"And you've gone days without sleeping. What the hell, Robin, why didn't you just ask for help?" she was practically shouting, having forgotten about the sleeping members of the Team. Her concern for her teammate was triggering her anger.

The rest of the team, awakened by the racket, made their way into the zeta tube room.

"What's going on?" questioned Kaldur.

"Robin! You're finally-oh my god," Wally interrupted himself as he caught sight of his best friend. "You look terrible."

Robin felt a sudden rush of vertigo and swayed heavily to the side. Leaning a hand on the wall of the zeta tube to steady himself, he tried to get rid of the pounding in his head. _Keep it together, Grayson,_ he reprimanded himself. Artemis rushed forward to help the Team's youngest member. The rest of the team stood in shocked silence as they took in the bloody bandage on his thigh that was ineffective in stopping the blood that trickled down his bare leg. They noticed the paleness in his face and the way his masked eyes were slitted with fatigue.

"What happened to you? Let us help," said M'gann. She too rushed forward and grabbed his arm to help him to the infirmary, but when doing so, her hand grazed his bad side, causing Robin to gasp in pain. M'gann began sprouting her apologies, her worry causing her to ramble. Artemis frowned at Robin's reaction, then gently pulled off his uniform shirt to reveal a second bloody bandage. Robin felt too weak to resist.

"Oh my god," repeated Wally, echoing the minds of the other Team members.

"I'm fine. They're bullet wounds," Robin explained. He didn't want to look weak in front of his teammates, and he definitely didn't need them preventing him from getting to the bottom of the case of the missing men.

"You're fine, my eye," snorted the team's archer.

"Please, let us help you, Robin," M'gann repeated. Her eyes were wide with fear.

Zatanna shoved her way to the front of the group. "Allow me. _Sserd sih seirujni_!"

The soiled bandages fell away and two new lengths of linen appeared and wrapped themselves around the bloody scrapes.

"Oh man. You really need to get some sleep," advised Wally. His joking persona was replaced by one of a caring brother.

"Yes. I believe a good rest would benefit you the most. As with the rest of us," stated Kaldur in his calming manner. Connor grunted in agreement.

"I have casework," mumbled Robin.

"Oh please. Let me handle that," huffed Artemis. She was annoyed at the stubborn boy and at herself for letting him run himself ragged. Before he could disagree, Zatanna grabbed his wrist and led him to his quarters. The team watched as his weak struggles did nothing to stop the determined girl, their amusement combined with concern.

Robin made his disagreement very clear as Zatanna dragged him to his room and unceremoniously shoved him onto his bed.

"Artemis can handle it. She's a trained assassin," she finally said, interrupting his protests. Then, before Robin could speak again, she leaned forward and gave him a lingering kiss on the lips, successfully silencing any further protests. She leaned back with a smirk, and seeing that there still was objection in his eyes, she quickly whispered a command. " _Peels!_ "

"No fair," mumbled Robin, before unconsciousness finally overtook him.

* * *

"Robin! Robin?!"

"Huh?" mumbled Robin drowsily. Glancing at his clock, he could tell that he hadn't slept for long. He realized the voice was coming from his communicator.

"This is Batgirl. I require help. There is-" static interrupted her message.

"Batgirl? Barbara!" Robin shouted. Ignoring his exhaustion, he leapt out of his bed and dashed into the Cave's mission briefing room.

"What's going on in Gotham?" he demanded. His fear for his friend and his city was stimulating his emotions. The other members of the Team were present and intently gazing at the holographic computer screen.

"Uh, maybe you should look," responded Artemis. "I was conducting investigations about the missing men in Gotham when the city became encased with this black energy.

Robin looked at the satellite footage of Gotham that Artemis pulled up. A figure stood at the top of a skyscraper at the center of the city. He was clad in medieval black armor. A devilish helmet covered his head. Only instead of eyes and a mouth at the openings of the helmet, there was gaping darkness. The figure underneath fear-imposing helmet appeared to be a sentient shadow, a literal entity of darkness. He raised his hands to the air. Two columns of black energy shot out of his hands and encased the city in a dome of opaque blackness. _I've never seen this lowlife before,_ thought Robin _. Is he related to the missing people?_

"Tell the approaching military to stand down. We don't know what that he iscapable of or if his energy can block their guns. I don't want their fire to demolish the city," ordered Robin as he analyzed the situation.

"Already done," Artemis replied.

"We'll approach via Bio-Ship. The black energy seems to block all zeta tube activity," continued Robin.

"We?!" asked Kid Flash. "No. You need to rest. And Artemis too. Please."

"I'm going," Robin's tone booked for no argument. "It's my city. My fight. And I have friends in there who may are in danger."

"Hey! If he's going, then I am too. Gotham is my city just as much as it is his," Artemis objected.

"Robin, Artemis, please stay. I-we are worried about you guys," said Zatanna.

"I need to be there with you guys," replied Robin. He would never abandon his teammates. Artemis echoed his sentiment.

"Friends, please. If both of you go, the Team will have to divide their attention in order to watch over the two of you," reasoned Kaldur, attempting to sway the two vigilantes by appealing to their sense of loyalty and concern for their comrades. His argument had no effect on the two stubborn heroes.

"Watch over us? Please, don't make me laugh," snorted Artemis. She followed Robin to the hangar. Sighing, the rest of the team followed as well.


End file.
